Youth Ballroom Program

Frequently Asked Questions:


WHY BALLROOM DANCE?

The reality of learning partner dances is that a child (or adult) isn't just being educated on how to move their body elegantly, quickly, sharply and with great intention and bold flexibility, they are, in fact, learning how to form social relationships, communicate in warm and inviting ways, exercising their body in increasingly nuanced ways, and building and maintaining relationships in a safe, fun and dynamic social environment.

When we learn a skill so fundamentally tied to our existence, (dancing is, of course, achieved through our physical body) we build a confidence within ourselves that is unique to each and every one of us because our bodies are unique to each of us.

Learning these skills, among others (discipline, great posture, musical and body rhythm, social awareness, focus, working together in a partnership to achieve something greater than the self, etc.) informs not only our life on the floor, but almost everything we do.

Few alternatives exist where all of these skills are nurtured and developed as much as they are in partner dancing.

Michelle and I were both athletes in the valley growing up, but it was ballroom dancing (learned from other cities) that integrated skills that have lead to a life long pursuit and deep passion for ballroom dance.

Dancing informs and impacts our lives in a multitude of ways.

We believe wholeheartedly it will do the same for your children.













THE PROGRAM

For one hour a week, Michelle and I will be teaching these skills through Waltz, East Coast Swing and Rumba. We believe these dances hold many physical skills that exist in a wide range of other partner dances in the event the program expands and children continue on to learn other partner dances in the future.

Both of us will be onsite a majority of the time - on occasion, one of us may have other professional duties that help us to pay the bills.

Once a month, we will host a supervised, 1.5 hour practice party so the children can put to use the skills they've learned.

Prior to this party, we'll invite the parents in to take a lesson for themselves, we'll teach a couple of very simple, but fun basics so they can get a feel for what dancing is about - what their children are learning and experiencing.

Parents can opt to dance during the social so kids can see that dancing is something anyone can do - parents may even want to dance with their child, though at that point, the kid will likely be a step or two ahead!

The practice party and parent lesson is included in the tuition.

Every quarter, we'd love to host something a smidge more formal, or possibly, a fun themed costume party, so that the kids (and adults if they choose!) can dress up and see another, more formal dimension of ballroom dancing.

There are dress codes at competitions that maintain the classic and traditional spirit of ballroom dancing. This shows kids that there are times and places where we show reverence to those things that came before us - that we dress up and behave accordingly in order to honor that.

This formal/themed practice party is also included in the tuition.

We hope this outlines some insightful aspects of the program that we are looking to achieve in the valley.

We hope you see the passion and value we bring to ballroom dancing in Yakima.















LOGISTICS:
WHERE
Haute Ballroom is located upstairs at The Woman's Century Club, located at:
304 N 2nd St, Yakima, WA 98901

WHEN
We are looking at afternoons, once a week anytime between 12-3pm, for one hour. Specific day and time will be what works best for most families' schedules.

COST
Cost is dependent on how many kids we have; the more kids involved, the lower the cost per child/teen - we will cap this program if there is overwhelming interest. The aim is to be around $35-50 per child, per lesson.

AGES
We are mostly looking at ages 10-18. It may be possible for younger children to join depending on temperament and attention span.

Michelle has worked extensively with children and teens 18 months and up, while Aaron has worked mostly with teens.

We're looking at starting up our program in the fall of 2024.

We'll be hosting a 3-4 day youth summer camp, summer of 2024 - reach out to be placed on our e-mailing list - Thanks!